


Var Abelas

by bygone_sigh



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Adventuring, Altered Canon Events, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Bloodplay, Drama, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Modern Inquisition (sort of), Plot Driven, Probable Cheesiness, Slow Burn, Smut adjacent, The Fade, Vampire Lavellan, Vampire Solas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:00:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29462391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bygone_sigh/pseuds/bygone_sigh
Summary: Ellana Lavellan owns an antique shop in the middle of Val Royeaux. While she is living in the city, she uses the opportunity to explore and look for signs of magic, as mages are a thing of a past long gone. One morning a strangle male elf she's never met enters her store, and Ellana's curiosity about the past becomes much more compelling.-Vampire AU // Modern AU
Relationships: Female Lavellan/Solas
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Since last October the thought of "vampire Solas" never left my mind, so here we are!  
> Also, please imagine Ellana however you like. :D

Ellana lazily swiped to snooze on her phone as it vibrated and beeped on her nightstand. It had been a mistake to stay up so late binge-watching. She buried her face in her pillow for several minutes before propping up on her elbows and grabbing her cellphone before another alarm went off. The autumn chill of her room seeped into the blanket when she moved. The lock screen was a jumble of notifications, mainly from apps installed on her phone. After adjusting the screen’s brightness, she replied to a few texts in a group chat she missed.

**Dorian Pavus – 7:46AM**

We still meeting today?

**Varric Tethras – 7:53AM**

What? We never decided when.

**Varric Tethras – 7:55AM**

Anyway, can’t. It’s a Saturday, gonna be busy.

**Dorian Pavus – 8:00AM**

With what? That ancient typewriter of yours?

**8:51AM**

Sorry for the late-ish reply. I can’t either! Have fun, let us know what you get up to!

She chuckled, feeling more alert. A reply was instantly received from Dorian.

**Dorian Pavus – 8:51AM**

(multimedia message)

See! We all agreed that we would meet today.

Dorian had actually scrolled through their group chat and attached a screenshot of when they made plans last month. She felt a momentary rush of guilt before laughing.

**8:52AM**

Sorry! But wow that you actually took a screenshot. Nice.

**Dorian Pavus – 8:52AM**

Ugh, fine. I guess I’ll work too.

**8:53AM**

It’s not much, but I’ll try to stop by after I close, okay?

**Dorian Pavus – 8:54AM**

With food?

**8:54AM**

Yes, I’ll bring food.

**Varric Tethras – 8:54AM**

Human food, thanks!

She rolled her eyes at Varric’s text, having a mind to only bring a variety of food meant for elves. After locking the screen, she sat up and stretched her arms and back. It was time to get ready for the day, people would probably be ready to enter her shop within the hour. Ellana lingered a few more moments staring at her wall before going to the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face, and fix her hair. She picked some comfortable, clean clothing and headed downstairs.

Ellana was renting a small space for her shop but despite its size, it allowed her a sense of freedom. It definitely didn’t meet the sprawling city of Val Royeaux’s high standards, though. Especially compared to the high-end fashion boutiques a few blocks over.

In a city like Val Royeaux, an antique shop was odd. An elven owned one? Extremely odd. In truth, her reason for setting up the store was to explore the catacombs beneath the city and make her own mapping of them. Deshanna approved of her ventures, as long as any findings were reported back to her. The catacombs were reported to be very closely connected to the Fade and sometimes had strange occurrences. Orlais being the heavily Andrastian country that it was, authorities blocked off a majority of the underground maze due to its supposed volatility.

Within the myths that pervaded each culture of Thedas, magic was central in them. Mages, templars, Blights – all of this was told through each country’s own fables and history. And then one day, all magic suddenly vanished. In Dalish tales, this was also the around the time elves began to need a regular consumption of blood.

If it were not for places like the catacombs in Orlais and other locations scattered around Thedas where mana lingered, the idea of even fantasizing about magic would be ridiculous and would only be seen in fantasy.

At the bottom of the stairs, she smoothed her clothing and walked to the front of the store. With a deep breath, she turned the sign from closed to open. Ellana checked to make sure her wares still looked presentable and settled behind the register. She took an enriched sports drink and a granola bar out of the private mini fridge underneath the register’s counter. As she struggled to open the bottle, a bell rang from the front door of the store.

“Hi, what do you need today?” Ellana asked the elven woman who entered.

“Just one of those drinks, please.”

“No problem,” she replied as she reached into a large fridge behind her and grabbed what the woman wanted.

“Oh! Do you happen to have those enriched waters as well?”

“Yes, how many?”

“One as well, please.”

Ellana turned again and grabbed the waters before ringing up the woman. “It’ll be 6.46.”

The woman swiped her card and swiftly left, eager to get back to her own day. Ellana sighed and took Varric’s newest unpublished novel from a drawer to the left and picked up where she stopped. She had promised him that she would read it and give an unbiased opinion. He didn’t trust his publisher to be honest with him, apparently.

_“You rescued me, Aveline. Again. I…I don’t know what to say.”_

_“Say that you’ll be with me, Donnic.”_

_“Be with you?”_

_“It’s all I would want, only if you do so also, of course.”_

_Aveline looked up and met Donnic’s eyes. She was being so obviously earnest with him; her eyes and expression were unwavering. She stepped closer, stopping just short of him. As the woman was already tall herself, she simply raised her heels off the ground just slightly to meet his lips with hers._

_“I’ll be with you Aveline. It’s all I’ve wanted since I met you. Ever since you killed that darkspawn to save me.”_

_A flush graced her cheeks, making her bashfulness physical. Donnic leaned forward and swept her in another kiss, this one more furious and passionate than the last. His hands fiddled with the latches of her breastplate during the breaks of their kissing. Eventually he managed to undo them. Aveline swiftly took it off and threw the armor over her head. Donnic did the same with his own. Their kissing heatedly resumed._

_The two slowly made their way to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Donnic’s right hand slowly slid underneath her tunic and made its way upwards, tracing contours of the muscles on her abdomen. Aveline shivered and threaded her hands through his hair, encouraging him to continue. His hand lingered just beneath the swell of her breast, not touching anywhere else._

_“Donnic!”_

_“I’m sorry, it’s just when else would I have the opportunity to tease a warrior like yourself?” Donnic chuckled. He rested his left hand along the curve of her spine and allowed his right hand to explore further upwards. He gingerly caressed the soft skin of –_

“Fenedhis, Varric!” Ellana cursed as she slammed the book away from her, embarrassed. “What do you have me reading?”

She stared at the book, it felt like it was burning a hole in the countertop. A slight rustling took her away from her provocative thoughts and she frantically looked up. There seemed to be a man at the front of the store, looking at some Dalish knickknacks. She must’ve been so involved in the book that she didn’t hear the door’s bell.

“Hi, I’m sorry I wasn’t available to help you earlier. Is there something you need or are looking for?” Despite the fact that her store was one that sold baubles and random things, her shop survived on the fact that it was one of the only places in Val Royeaux with a permit to sell real blood and related prepackaged foods. Because of this, Ellana had steady regulars who visited and usually recognized or was familiar with the people who bought from her. This man was someone she’d hadn’t seen before.

When he didn’t answer her, she rephrased her question and asked, “Is there a specific blood type you prefer, or would you like something else?”

Silence sat between them for a few moments before he turned to her and replied with a question of his own, “What is the purpose of these?” He was holding a small golden halla in his hand.

“They’re…just figures representing various members of the Elvhen pantheon.”

“I didn’t ask what they were, I asked the purpose of selling them.”

“You could say the same for everything else in here, you know.” Ellana unconsciously brushed a hand across her vallaslin. 

The man placed the halla next to a miniature figure of a sitting wolf. “That is a good point.”

“So, did you need anything? Or did you just want to browse around?”

“I’d like to take a look around.”

“That’s no issue. Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be at the register.” She slowly made her way to the register, occasionally looking behind her. As she settled back in her chair, she worriedly noticed the book on the table. Did he hear her curse earlier? Ellana inwardly groaned and watched as the man walked around, surveying much of the stuff that was placed out.

He was definitely taller than the usual male elf, had broader shoulders than one, too. Although unlike most elves, he didn’t have hair. At all. Usually in many communities, Dalish or other, elves liked to style their hair in intricate styles. According to the tales she heard as a kid, this was another tradition from the Elvhen.

The strangest thing was the fact that the man didn’t shave down his canine teeth. He didn’t part his lips very much when he spoke to her, but Ellana was pretty certain his weren’t flattened. She hadn’t seen elves with their natural canines since she was a small child. Elves already scared people with their pointed ears, there was no need to scare them with pointed teeth.

He then turned and looked upwards toward the displayed items in cases hanging on the wall.

“Ah, those aren’t for sale.”

“I didn’t ask if they were.”

Ellana held back a retort. “Was just letting you know just in case.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The bald elf continued to peruse.

She fidgeted in her seat, berating herself for leaving her laptop upstairs. All she could do was just watch him as he meticulously criticized everything in silence.

He spoke again then, meeting her eyes from where he was standing. “I’m surprised that an elven owned shop is selling so much relating to humans.”

“This _is_ Orlais.”

“I’m sure you’ve visited the other elven shops. They don’t cater so heavily to humans.”

“You did see the sign on the window, right? And hear what I asked you earlier? Humans don’t really want to enter a shop that sells blood.”

The man didn’t respond immediately and picked up a red iridescent dragon scale before stating, “I’ll take this.” He walked to her.

Ellana ignored the want to ask why he was buying something so random, but she thought in the end that it didn’t matter.

“Was there anything else you want?” She gestured to the fridges and shelves with snacks. It was momentary, but Ellana swore she saw a hint of discomfort cross his face.

“I’ll take a protein shake.”

She wordlessly grabbed the shake and rang him up. “It comes out to 21.26. Do you want a bag?”

“No, I won’t need one.” He met her gaze again while he paid and gathered the items in his left hand. “Ma serannas.”

Ellana just gave a blank stare as he quickly left. She hadn’t met many city elves who spoke in elven to her, even small phrases. Although she supposed it was more due the fact she was Dalish than anything else. Ellana shook the thought from her mind and ran upstairs to grab her laptop. It wasn’t even noon yet. It was going to be a long day.

\---

It was finally nearing closing, and Ellana stared at the clock on her computer. Only a few more minutes till seven. Dorian’s closed up at around eight and Varric would probably excuse himself to join them. This gave her enough time to place an order at a local Ferelden restaurant, get ready, and go pick it up. And if all went well, they’d finish eating and socializing at around eleven, which gave her a few hours of free time.

It was seven! She shut her laptop and ran to the front of store to flip the sign. Ellana locked the door and shut off the lights before she walked back to go upstairs. As she went to her studio above, she called the restaurant and placed the order.

Ellana changed to something more appropriate for a visit with friends. At least she hoped black tights, a hoodie, and boots were appropriate. She spent a bit of time in the bathroom putting on some form of acceptable makeup for the rush she was in. Afterwards, she stuffed her phone and wallet in her purse and left the building through the store’s entrance.

Walking along the busy sidewalks of Val Royeaux was never an issue for her, most humans tended to avoid her as she walked, creating a path for her. Ellana made it to the restaurant twenty minutes later and picked up the order. From there, it would only be a five minute walk to where Dorian and Varric would be.

Ellana rushed with the food, but luckily it was never difficult to miss Dorian’s bookstore. It was one of the largest businesses on this side of the district. It was also one of the most popular places. The bookstore had three stories and connected to a popular coffeeshop that sold a variety of baked goods and other food. Its popularity was boosted by the fact that Varric kicked off his book releases there, always creating quite the wave of overly eager fans.

She entered through the side entrance, which was thankfully unlocked this time. Dorian had a habit of forgetting she would come over and leave it locked. It was probably because she had food tonight. Figured.

“Ah, Ellana! Welcome! We’d thought you’d never arrive.” Dorian exclaimed as he stood from an empty table where him and Varric were sitting in the adjacent café. There was beer already placed on the table.

“Correction, you thought the food would never arrive.”

“Semantics, is it not?” Dorian reached out, gently grasped the bag and began to empty its contents on the table.

Varric chuckled, “Burgers? I could have brought that from one of my places, you know.”

“You wrote to bring human food, and this is the most human thing I could think of.” She shrugged and took a seat in the chair across from them both.

“I don’t know whether to find that insulting or not,” Dorian remarked as he bit in his burger. Varric picked at the group size seasoned fries.

The three of them tried to meet up at least once a month to share their frustrations about customers and the such of their establishments. Varric always had the most entertaining stories, whether it was only due to his storytelling abilities, Ellana wasn’t sure. His family owned several famous franchises across various countries in Thedas, and he himself invested in or owned some of the shops in Val Royeaux. It also eluded Ellana how he could even find time to meet up with her and Dorian as often as he did.

“Varric…” Ellana put her food down and faced him as she continued, “Please tell me the book you’re having me read is a joke.”

“Got you flustered, huh?”

“What – ugh, no!”

“How you’re avoiding to look me in the eyes is telling me a different story.”

Dorian interjected, “Wait, what book? Why am I not reading it?”

Varric was fully laughing at Ellana now, she refused to look at him. “Because of that, Sparkles! Look at her.”

“She seems mad. You’ve done it now.”

With a huff Ellana replied, “Okay, enough. What made you write such a different genre, Varric?”

The smile then slid off the dwarf’s face. “I was just…thinking of someone. That’s all.”

Ellana and Dorian went silent, they knew Varric had a woman in his life, but he always refused to give the details on it. They assumed it must be something really messy.

She turned to Dorian with a small smile. “I’m assuming he didn’t tell you that he would be writing smut for his next book.”

His eyes went wide. “Smut?”

“Yes.”

“Your expression earlier makes a lot more sense now. You were right, Varric. It _was_ worth it.”

Varric smirked at Dorian. “Told you.”

“You guys! Anyway, I’m changing the subject.”

The dwarf replied, “You brought up this subject to begin with.”

“ _Anyway._ An elf visited today that didn’t have his canines shaved.”

Dorian leaned closer. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, it shocked me too. He could get fined if the wrong person sees him.”

“I haven’t seen any elves like that today here, what about you, Varric?”

“Nope, I haven’t either.”

Ellana explained the odd behavior the man exhibited and how awkward the whole situation was. A worrying thought occurred to her, “You…you don’t think he was surveying the place, right? To break in or something.”

Dorian leaned in and patted her on the back. “I mean this in the most polite way. There is nothing worth stealing from your vast array of what you call antiques.”

“Hey!”

“Sparkles is right. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Well…if the two of you seem so confident, I trust you.”

The three of them talked for a while longer. When Ellana realized that it was nearing eleven, she drank the rest of her beer and said her goodbyes. Varric stopped her at the door.

“I know this area’s pretty safe but…just watch yourself, okay? Don’t hesitate to call Dorian or me if anything.”

“Thanks, Varric. Absolutely.” Ellana waved at him as she began to briskly return back.

Once she reached her building, she undid the alarm and went upstairs. Ellana grabbed a backpack from her closet, transferred her phone to it, and put it on. She made sure to click the plastic buckle across her chest for extra support. The map she was creating of the catacombs beneath the city was in the left mesh outside pocket of the backpack. Inside she had a flashlight, water, a compass, and extra clothing. There was also a knife inside of the backpack. Not the best location in case of an emergency, but she was against having it on her.

Ellana stopped at the bottom of the stairs before turning around and going back up them. She hadn’t had any actual blood all day, and figured it’d be best to drink some now before leaving. If not, she’d be in terrible condition the next morning.

There was a reason why most elves preferred to drink blood away from others, especially strangers or those they weren’t close with. It was because of the slight head rush that almost always happened a few moments after. The sensation wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t entirely pleasant either.

Ellana sat on the edge of her bed for a few minutes as she waited for it to pass. When it did, she set off. If she took the manhole entrance in Divine Square, it would lead to the south entrance of the catacombs. It also had the least amount of street cameras. From there, she was going to explore right instead of left. Ellana had already mapped a significant portion of the other side, and it didn’t seem like much magic remained there anyway. Not that she could accurately tell, as she had no experience with magic. 

Elven curses were muttered as she lowered herself down the manhole in complete darkness. She should have taken the flashlight out before heading down the metal ladder. It would have to wait until her feet were on ground again.

When she had her feet firmly set against the floor of the tunnel, she began her way forward.

Ellana reached the fork sooner than expected, it also seemed eerily different than the last time she ventured here. The air was thick and pungent, she felt it in her head and could taste it in her mouth. She moved her flashlight around slowly, expecting something to jump out at her. A nervous laugh escaped her as she thought about herself, a person who needed blood to survive, being scared of the dark.

Cautiously taking the right path in the fork before her, the atmosphere became tangible. Lines and swirls of green and silver wisped before her. Ellana twirled her fingers and moved her hand around, observing how it reacted. It twisted and contorted to the pressure of her movements.

A clang up ahead startled her. She pointed her flashlight to where the sound came from. Nothing. Everything looked fine. Ellana continued on.

She came to sudden stop when the toe of her boot kicked something hard and it skidded along the floor. Ellana took a deep breath and debated whether she should look down.

It was a skull that she had kicked. A skull that had fallen from the wall. But how? Why? She pushed these thoughts away with the common explanation that it was age and gravity.

A surge of green energy pulsed further ahead. She gazed in awe. _This_ was magic. In all her discussions with Dorian, someone who prided himself on being somewhat knowledgeable in this area, he’d confessed that he had never seen anything. He could only feel it at times, especially if the Veil was thin in an area.

Ellana foolishly ran to where she saw the pulses. She stopped when she heard a sort of chanting from a low, deep voice. She ducked down and got close to the bones scattered on the wall, hoping she was out of sight.

More energy surged, this time a deep purple. It was bright enough that she could see the person casting. It was the man from before, the male elf from that morning. Ellana knew something was off with him.

As her mind swarmed with questions, she didn’t realize the stirring of clicks and clacks near her. It was a light and delicate graze on the nape of her neck that brought Ellana to turn around and acknowledge what was happening behind her.

Several of the remains had become skeletons. They just stared at her; eye sockets pointed in her direction.

“Aneth ara, da’len, ” one spoke to her; she didn’t know which it was as none of their jaws moved. A skeleton offered their hand to her in a series of jagged movements.

Ellana scrambled and blindly rushed away. She soon slammed into a tall mass and tripped, landing on something hard, knocking it over.

There was the loud crash of something breaking, and the entire area then exploded in a sea of green.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that Paris actually has catacombs? I only learned this about two years ago. This served as the inspiration for Val Royeaux's :)


	2. Chapter 2

A series of rhythmic beeps stirred Ellana awake. As she slipped from unconsciousness to consciousness, pain flooded her senses. Her body was incredibly sore, and she struggled to move her hands or turn her head. Each strand of hair was sensitive, and the smallest movement made Ellana flinch.

She groaned as her sight slowly focused and looked at her surroundings in the afternoon light; she was in a private hospital room. Why was she in here? The thought that plagued her was the idea of how expensive this must be. Treatment in Orlais was expensive enough, but a private hospital room? Ellana thought she might as well return to Clan Lavellan at this point.

Ellana moved her hands around her, feeling to see if there was a call button of some sort. She cringed when she realized she had tugged on the IV delivering blood in her left arm. A transfusion, too? She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

A nurse in green scrubs and shaggy blonde hair came in then, startled to see Ellana awake. “Oh. I have to go inform them you’re awake.” He left as soon as he entered.

What seemed like seconds later, a tall, muscular, and short haired woman barged in the room and spooked Ellana.

“You. You’re awake and we need answers, now. Talk.” The woman had a thick accent, but Ellana was not sure where it was from.

She replied with a rasp, “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What do you mean you don’t know what I’m talking about?” The woman stepped closer to the bed and frowned.

“I don’t even know why I’m here. Why am I?” Ellana tried to sit up, and the other woman silently helped her. Now that they were so close to each other, Ellana could see the Seeker insignia pin attached to the right lapel of her jacket. The woman was dressed in a well fit black pantsuit. She must work for the Chantry or governmental affairs, directly reporting to Divine Justinia.

It was then that another woman entered the room, similarly smartly dressed but in a deep purple. “Cassandra, what are you doing to the poor girl?” Her accent was an Orlesian one.

“I have done nothing, Leliana. She refuses to talk.” Cassandra gestured to Ellana on the bed with her hands.

Ellana spoke up, “I’m not refusing to talk. I don’t know what’s going on!”

Cassandra scoffed and walked away from the bed to lean on a table at the front of the room.

Leliana walked closer and said with her soft voice, “Ellana, is it? We found you near the site of a mysterious occurrence at the center of the city.”

“Mysterious occurrence?”

Leliana leaned in. “Yes. There was some sort of blast that took out most of the electricity in the area along with disrupting wi-fi and mobile data connections.” Ellana could see that instead of a Seeker pin on her lapel, Leliana had a raven. She didn’t know what this represented.

Ellana didn’t respond and Leliana continued, “Civilians found you unconscious in the neighboring park.”

“Where are my personal belongings?” Ellana questioned, changing the subject.

Cassandra answered her, “Personal belongings? There was nothing with you at the time you were found.”

Vague and hazy thoughts that she assumed were memories came to mind. Was she with someone that night? Did they take her things? Her _map?_

Ellana boldly turned to Leliana and stated, “Then why am I being questioned like this? There’s numerous reasons why I could have been unconscious in the park, and I don’t see you asking me about those.”

Leliana turned away and amusedly replied, “Don’t worry, you are not in trouble. We are simply approaching any person who was outside in the area last night. Although, if you do suspect foul play please alert the proper authorities.” She motioned to Cassandra for them to leave. The two of them left wordlessly.

Ellana shuffled and felt something scrape her upper left arm. With her right hand, she avoided the IV line and took out what was there. It was a business card, and on the back in elegant handwriting, was the personal number for Leliana. How did Leliana manage to slip this underneath her arm without noticing? Ellana told herself to avoid the woman in the future, she seemed like someone who could mess up her life really fast.

The nurse returned. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m actually feeling much better now that I’ve been up for a while. How soon can I be discharged?”

“The doctor recommends staying the night – “

Ellana cut him off, “Please, I want to be discharged today. Now, if possible.”

“I’ll see what I can do, although it is apparent you are still in pain.” The nurse left again.

Through a flurry of paperwork and an uncomfortable phone call to Dorian, Ellana was finally leaving the hospital. They gave her the clothing she originally had on, but due to how dirty and torn they were, the hospital gave her disposable clothing. It was a deep green jumpsuit. Luckily her boots were still in good condition, so she was able to wear them. She made her way to the checkout desk, dreading the paperwork she was about to receive.

The nurse came back in again after she was dressed. He had brought with him a wheelchair this time.

Ellana recoiled a little. “Is that for me? I’m able to leave the hospital by myself, and there’s a car waiting for me outside.”

“I’m sorry, but it is the proper discharge protocol.” He stayed silent for a few moments and then said, “Fainting, dizziness, and momentary pain are side effects of having a transfusion. If you were to – ”

“I think I get it…I’ll use the wheelchair.” Ellana gathered her things, which was mainly the documents that were given to her and her clothes.

She struggled to lower herself in the chair, the male nurse held his left arm out for support in case it was needed. Ellana gave him a polite nod. Perhaps the wheelchair was necessary, after all. When she was securely in the chair, she let him know that she was ready. They set off through a flurry of large corridors and hallways.

After minutes of silence, he spoke to her, “Do you have any questions about your prescription?”

“No, it seems pretty straightforward. They’re just pain meds, right?”

They stopped at a set of elevators and waited for one to open.

“One is a pain medication, please follow the dosage instructions. The other is a supplement for elves.”

“Supplement for elves?”

“Like it says on the paperwork, the doctor did a simple panel on you. It showed lowered levels on all your results. This is concerning because of your condition.”

“My condition?” A beep alerted them of an open elevator, and he wheeled her in and selected the ground floor.

“Vampirism.”

“Ah.” A flush slowly crept up neck. People never said that word.

The nurse was not fazed by her reaction and talked on, “Because of it, nutritional balance is important. Your body can very easily have reactions, which is why there are many cases like yours, elves fainting or suffering overexertion.”

The elevator beeped again, and the door opened to the ground floor. As he rolled her out of it and a concerned Dorian went toward them, the nurse patted her on the shoulder and told her, “Be sure to drink blood, okay? More often than you have recently.”

Ellana looked up to the nurse and muttered, “Thank you,” her eyes roved for his ID card and finished her sentence, “…Cole.”

Cole gave her a small, warm smile as Dorian caught up to them.

“Maker! What happened to you, Ellana?” 

She gave Dorian a sheepish expression as a reply. Cole allowed Dorian to take the wheelchair and walked away from them, attending to something else. Dorian rolled her to the hospital’s checkout.

The checkout went smoothly until she received a receipt for services rendered.

“Why does it say I owe nothing?”

The woman replied flatly, “Some officials waived it for you.”

Ellana was surprised the women gave her answer at all while she signed the final paper for her release. It must have been the women she met earlier. That was not a good sign.

Dorian was silent until they were in his car and began to navigate the hospital’s complicated parking lot. “Honestly, Ellana… What _did_ you get yourself into?”

“I’m not exactly sure.”

“Government officials covering your expenses sounds like you should know what’s going on.” He gave her a quick concerned glance.

“I just…I was just walking back from the bookstore when that blast happened.”

“Don’t lie to me, Ellana. You left around eleven. The blast that caused outages was around one.”

She was thinking of how to reply when they came to the parking booth. Dorian frowned at her before messing with the ticket machine to leave the parking lot. Ellana racked her mind on what to tell him.

The car merged in the appropriate lane, and they were now officially on the road.

Dorian resumed his interrogation, “So?”

She looked out the window, not knowing how to reply. What was it with everyone asking her things today? She was tired of answering questions.

“I…” She took a deep breath while still staring out the window and explained, “I was exploring the catacombs beneath Val Royeaux.” There was no use in lying, and her headache was beginning to feel worse.

“What, why? That’s incredibly dangerous!”

“Back at Clan Lavellan, I was observing the Elvhen ruins to see how the Fade was around them, and to see if there was any magic that lingered. I also observed how that slight remaining magic reacted with its surroundings and certain objects.”

“What does this have to do with the catacombs?”

She laughed while replying, “It’s not very deep. I just figured that it was such an old place with so much history, that the bones might still have something with them.” Her laugh was cut short when she suddenly saw a hazy memory of a skeleton extending their hand to her.

Dorian gave her a quizzical look and said, “That explains why a Dalish would suddenly move to Val Royeaux. You’ve been doing this the past year?”

“Intermittently.”

They had arrived at her store and Dorian parked the car. He turned to her in his seat.

“Can I ask why you’re doing this? There’s plenty of academic material on this phenomenon. I can even bring you books on it, free of charge.”

“I know there is…It’s just different seeing it in person. And it may just be me, but I swear it’s different for elves. There’s not much published about elven relations to magic, unfortunately. It’s a human dominated area.”

Ellana decided to give further explanation, “Plus everything I notice, I let the Keeper know. Useful for Arlathven.”

Dorian seemed satisfied with this explanation and helped her to the studio. She almost fumbled on the stairs a few times, but Dorian kept her steady. When she was sitting on her bed, he turned to her and remarked jokingly, “And do memorize my number, imagine my surprise when someone from the front desk came running for me freaking out about an Ellana in the hospital.”

“Will do.”

Ellana had to assure him multiple times that she would be fine before he relented and left. She knew he was immediately going to tell Varric everything, so she was sure to have an earful in a few days.

She leaned back and lounged on the bed, thinking about the parts she omitted when explaining everything to Dorian. Ellana wanted to see how the magic beneath Val Royeaux reacted when she brought some charged items from different Elvhen ruins. Were they enchanted similarly, if so, how and why? She knew there were studies done like this by a few elves already, but she selfishly wanted to witness it herself. She came here for herself, not for anyone else.

Ellana fell asleep with the hospital’s disposable clothing still on while her mind flitted through random thoughts.

\---

She flinched and twisted in her sleep; her dreams filled with flashes of unknown people and surroundings. Ellana woke up with a start as a sharp pain shot through her left hand. The moment she awoke, she could have sworn there was a cloud of what seemed to be green smoke emanating from her left hand, but it disappeared instantaneously. It must have been a part of her dream.

Ellana sat up carefully, fatigue and body aches were full force. She rubbed her head absentmindedly for a few minutes and in the dark made her way to the kitchenette to pour herself some blood.

After she poured it in a glass and sipped at it, what the nurse had said earlier came back to her. How did he know she slacked on drinking it? No, there was no way he could have known, it had to just be an assumption from the test results. Right? Had to be.

The thoughts about Cole led her to think about her medication. Glass in hand, she walked to where the paper prescription bag was and pulled out the two orange bottles. She read the labels and took the pills as directed.

After she finished her glass and placed it in the sink, Ellana sat on her bed and waited for the feeling to pass. As an automatic reaction, she reached for her phone, only to realize she didn’t have it. It was unfortunately lost somewhere, probably stolen. She let out a long groan and stood up to get her laptop downstairs, which would have to be a suitable replacement for it in the time being. Too tired to make the extra effort, she didn’t turn on any of the lights on her way down.

Usually, this simple task would only take a few minutes, but being by herself and having no one else there, it took triple the time to get to the first floor.

She released a breath of relief when she made it to the register. Feeling drained of all energy, she went to sit in the chair until she felt less exhausted. However, when she tried to sit in the chair, her hip bumped into something. Ellana jumped back, almost knocking herself over. She cursed to herself, it felt like she was doing that a lot recently.

Ellana tentatively reached out a hand to feel for whatever was in the chair. After a few taps, she recognized that the item in the chair was her backpack.

She tore it open and looked to see if her stuff was still inside. It was just as she had it.

“What the,” Ellana grumbled as she dug through her things. They looked largely untouched, but her phone was still missing. She rummaged through the side zipper pockets, and there was nothing. Lastly, she opened the central zipper at the front and reached in. Her phone!

She pulled out her phone and immediately went to unlock it when a small, folded piece of parchment fell. Ellana picked it up, turned on the phone’s flashlight, and read what was written there.

_Lethallan, you should be more mindful as to where you venture off at night._

What? Was this some kind of warning? The person who wrote this was definitely an elf, judging by the use of ‘lethallan’. Unless it was a human being offensive, then that would also make a lot of sense.

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to exactly remember what had happened the previous night. With a frustrated click of her tongue, she shoved the note in a drawer and returned upstairs, backpack and all. It didn’t go unnoticed that her map was missing as well.

\---

The rest of the week proved to be difficult for her, but each day that passed, her bruises and bodily aches lessened. It was now Friday night and she was free from all obligations. As usual, Varric and Dorian were busy with their own lives, they’d probably meet up again in a few weeks. Ellana was appreciative of that for some reason, the outages that occurred last weekend drove up business for the two of them. She guessed it was due to this that she escaped her friends’ ire. The passing thought that she should attempt to socialize more crossed her mind, but she brushed it off. Ellana was comfortable with the way things were at the moment.

Laying on her bed with her phone on her chest, Ellana idly looked for a place to order food and chose from the new Rivaini place. The food came soon enough, and she ate alone at her small dining room table.

Tiredness came early for her, and before she knew it, she fell asleep in her bed while watching an Orlesian soap opera.

\---

Ellana flexed her hands and stretched her fingers, noticing that they were slightly distorted. She then rubbed her hands together, feeling the grooves of her skin. This wasn’t real.

“…I’m lucidly dreaming?”

This perplexed her because she wasn’t trying to lucid dream, nor had she ever done it. She had read on the internet that it was something that typically needed practice and diligence. Any time that she felt that she was beginning to dream lucidly, her consciousness seemed to pull at her and wake her up, but she didn’t feel that now.

Anxiety crawled up her body. Many strange things were suddenly happening; she should have known she would eventually run into some sort of trouble. This was all her fault, if only she didn’t go creep around places like some sort of rogue spy.

Walls then formed around her, creating a one-way path for her to follow. Ellana followed it wordlessly, tracing her hands along them. Her fingers dipped and scraped against it.

Through the haziness of the atmosphere, she could see a glowing light at the end of the hall she was in. Tugs of familiarity pulled at her as she ran to it.

Confusion filled her as she stared at the scene in front of her. She knew this. It felt so real, like she had lived it. There was a tall man standing before a glowing green orb on the ground.

“I’m surprised to see you here.” The man turned and faced her. He was dressed in modern clothing and had a deep burgundy overcoat.

“You…you! You’re the guy that entered the store last week, aren’t you?”

“That I am.”

“Where am I? Why am I here?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“To answer your first question, you are in the Fade.”

“The Fade?” Ellana exclaimed, incredulous. “How?”

“We all enter the Fade when we dream.”

She stayed silent for a few moments before replying, “That’s real, the stories are true? We travel the Fade when we dream? How is that even possible? Mages don’t even exist.”

“You ask a lot of questions, you know.”

“I just want answers.”

“My turn to ask a question. What was it that you were looking for when you ventured down here last week?”

“When I ventured down here, what do you mean – ” The next question of hers was interrupted when the walls changed to those of the catacombs. Memories of that night hit her with clarity. She fearfully stepped back from him.

“You don’t need to be afraid of me. I am an elf, just like you.”

“I _saw_ you. You were manipulating magic.”

“That I was.”

“None of this makes sense,” Ellana said more to herself than him. He chuckled at her, and the sound of it echoed.

“We’ll talk more about this another time, don’t worry. You’ll get all your answers,” he met her eyes and continued, “I’m Solas, if there are to be introductions.”

She paused before answering, “Ellana Lavellan.”

Solas stepped closer to her and walked around her before leaning in and saying with a soft voice, “Well, Ellana. _Wake up._ ”


	3. Chapter 3

Tap. Tap. Tap. Ellana mindlessly drummed her fingers on the countertop. It had been a few days since that dream, which she somehow remembered in its entirety. It was a weird dream, but not the weirdest one she’d had. Maybe it was time for her to move on to another place, Val Royeaux was proving more trouble than it was worth. She could lie to Deshanna and explore somewhere else that seemed promising. Maybe Antiva? Tevinter? No, no. Running away from problems always made them bigger.

The door’s bell rang, alerting her of someone entering.

“Hi, what is that you’re needing tod –” Ellana eyes widened as she saw a very large qunari step through the door. Correction, a _huge_ qunari. What was a qunari doing in Orlais? In an _elven_ shop?

“Hey, I heard about the place and thought to check it out.” The man flashed a toothy smile and went to her. He was also wearing a leather eyepatch over his left eye.

“I, uh…Please take a look around, maybe you’ll find something you like,” Ellana replied, her eyes repeatedly darting from his horns to his face.

“My eye is down here.” He let out a raucous laugh at Elanna’s flustered reaction. “Don’t worry about it. Name’s Iron Bull. Get it?” He pointed to the horns.

“Ha, ha. Yes, I do. If you find anything you’d like to buy, don’t hesitate to let me know Mr. Bull.”

“Just Iron Bull or Bull, nothing fancy like that.” He gave her another smile as he made his way around.

The momentary peace didn’t last long. “Watch out!” Ellana screamed as she rushed toward him, his right horn was about to knock a piece of Elvhen pottery off a high shelf. Iron Bull turned his head to her, narrowly missing the pottery, but his left horn shattered a glass case hanging above them on the wall. Iron Bull instinctively put his body over hers, letting the majority of the glass land on him.

“Are you okay, Iron Bull?”

“Qunari skin is tough, I’ll be fine. Plus, my shirt took most of it.” Iron Bull stood up straight and shook his clothing, and Ellana did the same. When she went to look at Bull, her head aligned with his chest and was staring directly at it.

“Hey, I’m up here.” A snort came from him. 

Ellana strained a smile, this man really was something, wasn’t he.

“Your arm, that’s a pretty deep gash, Bull.”

“Like I said, I’m fine. Qunari and all.” He gestured to his body.

She felt conflicted. Her first-aid supplies were upstairs, if she left, he’d be alone in the store. Ellana had never left someone alone in the store before, what she would do was wait till it was empty and then lock the front door.

“Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. This won’t even scar, and I got plenty of those.”

Ellana gave him a doubtful look, despite all the scars that were on his face.

Iron Bull told her with finality, “I’m fine. Now what I will do is help you clean this up. Got a broom?”

She nodded went to grab the brush and dustpan and came back. He swept the floor while she moved things around on table display, shaking them for glass and such.

When the area was clear, Ellana picked up the item that Iron Bull had knocked out of the glass case. It was an ancient Elvhen cloth doll she found by accident in some ruins, a different reckless adventuring incident of hers. It had been remarkably well preserved, only with a few dirty patches. It was fascinating that during a time of magic and wonder, floating cities and all, that their children still played with toys. That made her feel almost a sort of kinship with her ancestors.

“That was in the case, wasn’t it? Did it break?”

“Just a few rips, nothing I can’t quickly stitch up.”

Iron Bull moved to sweep the glass off the table. “What’s something like that doing in a case anyway?”

“The stuff that’s not for sale, I keep in the cases.”

“Why aren’t they for sale? They don’t look different from the rest of the stuff you have out.” He quickly added, “No offense.”

“They’re personal items that I’d rather not sale. And instead of keeping them cooped up in a closet somewhere, I put them up.”

He shook the dustpan in a small wastebasket, making sure all the glass went in it. “What about that doll?

“It was my mom’s. Passed it on to me when I was a kid,” she lied.

Iron Bull let out a light huff. “Well since I caused such a scene, I better buy something, shouldn’t I?”

“Oh, you don’t have to. Nothing was majorly damaged. Besides, you got hurt.” She put the doll down on the table and gave him her full attention.

“Nah, wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t buy something. Point me to something pricey.”

Ellana unconsciously looked at his horns.

This time he let out a belly laugh, this one sounding different from the others before. He must be genuinely amused. “Okay, why don’t you bring the item to me, then.”

“Is there anything in specific you’re looking for?”

“Nope.”

Ellana walked around and viewed her own wares, feeling slightly giddy at the idea that she was shopping her own goods. Her eyes landed on something and she excitedly took it.

“Do you like ocean waves, stuff like that?” She called from the other side of the store.

“Yeah, sure.”

She came over to where he was and showed what she had in her hand. It was a small, silver plate embossed with curves that resembled waves in the middle. While the object itself was small, it still covered most her right palm.

“I think this could fit over your leather eyepatch if you wanted. If you take this to a tailor here, I’m sure they’d fasten it for you,” Ellana suggested.

Iron Bull stared at it for a few seconds and Ellana realized with mortification what she said.

“Oh, Creators. I – I didn’t mean to be rude or anything like that.”

He gave her a wave of dismissal for her unnecessary worry. “I’ll take it.”

She looked at the tag. “That’ll be around,” Ellana did the math in her head, “13.22…The register will confirm it. I shouldn’t be too far off, though.”

“I said you could pick something pricey, and this is what you grab? Are you sure?”

“I’m not going to have you pay for something that you have no need for. At least this might.”

He studied her for a few seconds. “Elves…you guys can be strange sometimes.”

Iron Bull carefully walked with her to the register and she rang him up. Watching his step, he made his way out without breaking anything else.

Ellana returned to the spot they were previously at before and put everything moved beforehand back in their places. Lastly, she went to pick up the doll. It was only when she lifted it that she saw several folded bills were placed underneath. It was a good chunk of money.

She placed the doll on the table and got her phone to text.

**3:23 PM**

A qunari came in, broke something accidentally, bought something, and then left.

**3:23 PM**

He also left me extra money.

She put her phone down knowing a reply would take a bit. Surprisingly, her text tone went off soon after.

**Dorian Pavus – 3:25PM**

A qunari, you say? In your shop?

**3:25PM**

I know, shocked me too.

**Dorian Pavus – 3:25PM**

Now that you mention it…a qunari did visit here too.

**Varric Tethras – 3:26PM**

Is everything goo?

**Varric Tethras – 3:26PM**

Good

**3:27PM**

Yeah, it is. One of his horns just broke some glass.

**Dorian Pavus – 3:28PM**

Wait

**Dorian Pavus – 3:28PM**

Was his name Iron Bull?

Ellana was hurriedly typing her long reply to Dorian when a text from a different number came in.

**Unknown Number – 3:30PM**

There are things we need to discuss.

**3:30PM**

Who is this?

**Unknown Number – 3:31PM**

I believe we’ve already made our introductions.

Ellana’s hold on her phone tightened. She took a few minutes before typing her reply.

**3:38PM**

Solas.

**Unknown Number – 3:40PM**

Correct.

Without thinking, she immediately pressed the phone icon. The line rang once before connecting. She didn’t think this through or this far. Ellana had no idea what to say.

“Ellana,” his deep voice resonated.

“Solas.”

“We need to talk.”

“Talk.”

“It’d be best to do this in person. It will make more sense.”

“What do you suggest, then?”

Silence filled the air of the call, and Ellana began to fidget.

He spoke again, “Are you free tonight?”

“It’s the middle of the week.”

“It would more ideal than the weekend.”

“Fine.”

“Then it’s settled. I will drop by your store around nine.” There was a beep signifying the end of the call.

Ellana stood there and stared at nothing. What _did_ she get herself into?

\---

The rest of the day went by both too slow and too fast for Ellana’s liking. She wandered around the store uselessly tidying and helped the elves who stopped by.

She rolled around restlessly in her bed. It was now eight. Eight at night. One hour before Solas said he would visit. Ellana wondered if she should have Varric and Dorian be here, maybe some of her acquaintances as well. The more people there were, the less likely this man would harm her. She buried her head in her hands. Why was she trying to amateurly profile this guy? He hadn’t hurt her when he obviously had the chance to. But he still took her backpack. And map. Also nothing he had said implied harmful threats.

In that dream they shared, which was something she most definitely needed answers on, it could be said that Solas was pleasant. Mischievous, even. Like he enjoyed knowing something she didn’t. This was a contrast to his surly attitude when he visited the antique store that time.

A muffled knock from below broke her worrisome imagination. She stared at her door. He was early by thirty minutes. He _would_ be the punctual type.

She blinked a few times and took deep breaths in a failed attempt to bring down her heart rate. Ellana slammed her hands down on her bed and pushed herself up. This was her only chance to gain information and she wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

Ellana flew down the stairs at a speed that was probably dangerous, but this whole situation already was. Her hand hovered over the doorknob to the door, with a final deep breath she unlocked and opened it.

On her way down, she had forgotten to turn on the lights to the inside and outside. His eyes reflectively glinted in the darkness.

“I don’t recommend we have our discussion outside, do you?” He asked.

She stepped aside and let him in without a reply. Solas made his way in the darkened shop. He was wearing a coat similar to the one in the dream, except it was black. The rest of his clothing were muted colors.

After he was completely inside, she closed the door, not locking it. Ellana avoided his curious gaze as she walked past him and went to turn on a tall lamp near the counter. She then grabbed her chair and a stool from behind the register and dragged them to an emptier corner.

She sat in her chair and motioned to the stool for him. He sat in it easily, one foot planted on the floor while the other rested on one of the stool’s rungs.

“I suspect you have questions,” he simply stated.

“I do.”

“Then, by all means lethallan, ask them.”

She chewed at her bottom lip and studied his stoic expression. “How did we share the same dream?”

“The Fade.”

“Yes, but what about the Fade?”

He leaned in. “Why don’t you tell me what you know, first. Clarification will be easier than explanation.”

His sudden proximity made her nervously flit her eyes away, unable to maintain eye contact.

“That we are connected to the Fade in some way, spirits and demons reside there. During uthenera it is where the Elvhen roamed. And by pulling from it, it is how mages controlled their magic. Also, that possessions of mages were possible because of this. It's also where the pantheon are locked away. But it’s been so long, that it’s usually just regarded as embellished history.”

He rubbed the heel of his left palm along his temple as he replied, “The Dalish continue to surprise me with their ignorance.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I figured this sort of ignorance from humans, but the Dalish? Disappointing.”

“If you are going to insult me and my heritage, then please leave, _hahren_. I don’t need answers that badly,” she said out of frustration. If he did leave at her suggestion, a tiny part of her would always wonder what he had to say.

He gave her pointed look and replied with the same tone she had, “ _Da’len_ , there are more important matters to attend to.”

“Talk, then. That’s why you came here, isn't it?”

He took a deep breath. “The Fade is tied to life, yes. Aside from dwarfs, almost every person enters the Fade when they dream, knowingly or not.”

“You mean like lucid dreaming?”

“That would be the term now, yes. In the past, typically mages were the only ones able to be aware of their time in the Fade and remember it after waking.”

“So, in that same vein, those who lucidly dream are more closely connected the Fade?”

“Yes, you could say that.”

Her next question came rapidly, “How did we cognitively meet each other in the Fade?”

“It usually contorts to the dreamer’s memories and will. Us meeting the way we did was highly unusual.”

Solas looked at her to gauge her reaction so far and continued, “There are individuals that go beyond being lucid in the Fade. They can change all they want and go where they want simply with their will and effort.”

She met his eyes. “Somniari.”

“Yes. I am one.”

Ellana raised her hands in confusion. “How? Spellcasting is a thing of the past. How are you so closely tied to the Fade when we aren’t?”

His lips lightly downturned, giving the impression that he was intensely mulling something over.

“In areas where the Veil is thin, I redirect and manipulate the magic that is already present. I do not create or cast any of my own.”

“Why are you able to do this and not others?”

“You ask with such certainty that I am the only one. Look around you.”

Ellana’s face twisted in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Many of the items you have here contain some sort of magic or enchantment. The objects you placed in the display cases even more so.”

She stayed silent. Her brows knitted as she thought about the implications of his statement.

Solas took the opportunity to explain further, “Your connection to the Fade led you to those things. You felt some sort of connection, did you not?”

She thought back to the doll from earlier and bit her lip. “I did.”

“How I am able to redirect the energy is no different from you recognizing it. This only happens within elven communities, though. Elves are intrinsically tied to the Fade.”

Ellana’s mind buzzed with even more questions after that statement, but she decided to ask the most important one, “And what were you doing in the catacombs that night?”

“I’ve learned all of this throughout my journeys while dreaming. They have shown me how to interact with the energy that is still around us. The object was an Elven artifact, something that is able to alter the Veil. When activated, they are able to thin the Veil in the area.”

“It’s because of the Veil’s thickness that we’ve lost magic,” Ellana said as a statement rather than a question. This was something that was theorized, but no one had been able to prove it. How could people test something they couldn’t interact with?

Solas seemed pleased at her assumption. “Exactly. With the Veil thinned in an area, it allows for more flow from the Fade.”

Ellana didn’t respond, thinking everything over when he let out a small laugh and told her, “It would have all gone smoothly, too.”

She cocked her head in apprehension and questioned, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He leaned in again and said, “I studied those artifacts for months in my dreams to make sure I could bend the magic appropriately. But then you broke it.”

Ellana opened her mouth to respond, but he talked on, “Don’t worry, I fixed it all I could. But I am no longer able to twist it’s energy or any of the magic around it.”

He softly grasped her left hand. “Your physical interactions with the artifact caused their power to be tied to you.”

“Wh – what?”

Solas traced down her left palm with his fingers, and her hand began to glow.

“What did you do to my hand?”

“Nothing, I simply brought out the artifact’s power for you to see.”

While she stared at her hand dumbfounded, Solas asked her, “Would you like to see the artifact?”

Ellana answered immediately, “Yes.”

He let her hand go and it ceased glowing. “I’ll wait for you outside the store.”

Solas stood up and left her there. Ellana traced the palm of her left hand just as he had. With determination, she stood up and ran upstairs to get her backpack. On her way out of the store, she eyed the doll. Ellana stuffed it in her backpack, now was a better than ever to see how something like it would react in the catacombs. She also sent a quick text to a few friends of her approximate whereabouts and a short description of who she was with. Just in case another blast occured.

She set the alarm and locked the door. As he said, Solas was waiting for her on the sidewalk. They must have been talking for a while, night had fully settled, and people were sparse.

He faced her and commented, “See? Better than the weekend.”

Ellana scoffed in response.

“Ah, wait. Before we set off, you might want this back, Ellana.”

She kept a calm expression despite the fact that it unsettled her each time he said her name. It sounded like such a foreign word for him to say, and it did not help that he said it sparsely.

Solas pulled a piece of folded parchment from a jacket pocket. “I believe this is yours.”

“That it is.” She restrained the urge to snatch her map from him and simply took it, avoiding touching his skin. Ellana put it in an open mesh pocket of the backpack.

He took the lead and led her to an entrance she didn’t know existed. As they traveled underneath the city, Solas commented, “I was surprised to see how much you missed of the catacombs on that map of yours.”

“I wasn’t finished, if that wasn’t obvious.”

“In any case, it’s dangerous to go alone to places like these.”

“Yeah, one might bump into a strange elf messing with old tech. If only someone warned me beforehand.”

He gave her an indifferent, unamused look and they walked on in silence. At some point, Ellana stopped and took the doll out from her bag.

Before Solas could make a comment, she told him, “You said it’s all connected, right? I wad curious and decided to bring it.” She held the flashlight in one hand and the doll with the other.

Travelling through the catacombs again was an entirely different experience for Ellana. Her skin prickled and tingled, the ancient magic felt like it seeped through her skin. Her left hand also began to glow, a crooked streak appearing in the middle of the palm. The closer they got to the artifact, the brighter her hand became. It also began to have a slightly throbbing ache.

“We’re here,” Solas said as they arrived at the chamber. Instead of the air being thick like the last time, it felt lighter, welcoming.

Ellana took off her backpack, put the doll next to it, and crouched to study the object before her. Because of her tripping on it, it was marred with crevices and hairline cracks.

She stood back up and looked at Solas. “What do I do?”

He stepped behind her and placed his left hand over hers, lifting them over the artifact.

“Just focus. I’ll help manipulate what I can.”

Silence pervaded the chamber, the only noises being their deep breaths and the low cackling of her palm.

A bright light suddenly exploded and engulfed the chamber. A bolt of pain shot through Ellana’s hand and she cried out, Solas steadied her from falling.

As sudden as it all was, it was gone instantly. All that remained was the Elven artifact surrounded in twists and knots of green energy, similar to what would emit from her hand.

“Lethallan, are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ellana regained her footing.

A voice from behind the both of them spoke in Elven, “Andaran atish’an. It is a welcome sight to see the both of you again.”

They faced where the voice came from. There was a group of skeletons in front of them.

Ellana tensed, and Solas noticed this as he was still holding her quite closely. He whispered, “There is no need to fear them. They are the Elvhen of the past.”

Unlike when she was speaking with Solas, Ellana’s mind ran with questions, but she couldn’t voice any of them.

One of the skeletons spoke again, “I’m afraid our time is limited. We thank you for visiting us. It can get lonely drifting along the Fade.”

A different skeleton stuttered its way toward them. “Please, may I keep it?” It stopped in front of the doll.

Eyes wide with awe and still unable to form a response, Ellana picked the doll up and stretched her arms toward the skeleton.

In irregular movements, the skeleton gently took the doll and said to her, “It reminds me of the ones I would make for my children so long ago. So long ago.”

The bones began to shake, signifying their time was running to an end.

Ellana’s breath hitched and through a dry throat she told them, “Dareth shiral.” Solas repeated the same.

The bones then fell in a disconnected heap, the doll underneath it.

“The force that the artifact exhibited allowed their spirits to linger our world once more. If not for the thickness of the Veil, they could have stayed longer,” Solas explained.

An overwhelming weight then came upon Ellana, and she struggled to stand. Solas gingerly sat her on the ground, her back leaning against a wall. When he knew that she was properly settled, he rummaged through her backpack.

“What are you doing, Solas?” Ellana wondered as her eyelids became heavier and heavier.

He didn’t answer and instead just continued to go through it. When he found what he was looking for, Solas returned to her and caught her half-lidded gaze.

Solas undid the locking mechanism of the pocket knife and raised the blade. He then made a long vertical gash on his right inner forearm.

“You need blood. Now.” He moved his arm closer to her face.

Adrenaline coursed through her, making her suddenly alert.

“What? No! I won’t do that. I’ll be fine. I just have to make it home.”

“Ellana. Your body, no matter if it is elven, was just overwhelmed with magic. Something no one has experienced in thousands of years. There is no saying what it did to you and what deficits you may encounter, especially if your body needs blood. Now, drink.”

Her breaths became shaky. He was right, but this act of drinking from another person, especially another elf, was mainly reserved to Dalish bonding customs. It was such a deeply intimate act both physically and metaphorically.

“ _Ellana_ ,” Solas warned.

Her heart beat faster, something Solas would be able to hear. What was she going to do? How would she even do this?

She glanced at his arm, his blood was flowing in a diagonal line and was beginning to drip at his elbow. Ellana brought her face closer to his arm and wavered. The strong smell of his blood compelled her to lean forward. It didn’t remind her of human or typical elven blood. Something about it reflected the magic that remained in the catacombs, in the elven artifact.

Her lips met with his forearm, and all of her worries fled. She raised her hands to hold his arm as she drank and lapped at the blood that came from the cut. Solas curled around her for support.

Discomfort began to settle around her temples and down the back of her neck, becoming greater as the seconds went on. Ellana raised her face from his arm and winced at the intensity of the head rush. She passed out from it, and Solas caught her. He swiftly swung her backpack over a shoulder and scooped her up. He made the way out of the catacombs, following the same route they used coming in.

However, he was met with a few unfamiliar faces when he exited.

“Bonsoir. There are a few questions I’d like to ask you and the girl,” an airy Orlesian accent sounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little cheesiness :)


	4. Chapter 4

For three days, Ellana had been asleep, balancing between life and death. Through overheard gossip after she awoke, she learned that it was due to Solas helping her doctor that she somehow managed to live. He was able to control or manage whatever magic was inside of her, while the doctors tended to physical injuries. Naturally, this would raise numerous questions and allegations with the authorities, but they were already in custody.

She was currently sitting in an elaborate room of the Divine’s estate watching the morning news, waiting for Cassandra to bring her to interrogation. If the situation wasn’t already tense enough to make Ellana nauseated, she was currently seeing her face plastered all over the screen. It had been leaked that she was a central figure to the outages a few weeks ago, that she was someone trolling underneath the city, and was now under official supervision. _Great._ The only thing missing was Queen Celene’s involvement, which can’t have been far off.

What did this mean for her shop, for Clan Lavellan? She really messed everything up this time. There was no way back from this.

There was a sharp knock at the door and the nurse walked in. Leliana had arranged that the same medical professionals treat her in order to keep a low profile, and that no doubt included multiple non-disclosure agreements.

“How are you feeling?” Cole asked her while sorting her medications.

“The same.”

“And your hand?”

She glanced down at her left hand, it was now constantly glowing and permanently had the green streak on it. “Also the same. Warm, though.”

“No change is good.” He passed her the pills, and she took them with some water.

Instead of leaving, Cole commented to her, “You’re nervous.”

“Wouldn’t you be?”

“No. I heard them talking, they need you. They won’t do anything to harm you. I wouldn’t worry,” he replied kindly and exited the room.

It helped ease her nerves that death wasn’t as imminent as she thought, but Ellana still had to deal with the dread of waiting for Cassandra to drop by.

\---

In the afternoon, there was another knock at the door, and the pit in Ellana’s stomach tightened. It was time.

“Come in,” she said when the person didn’t enter.

Instead of Cassandra, a man dressed in a professional suit with sandy blond hair entered.

“Hello. Ellana, yes? I am Commander Rutherford, I’m here to escort you.”

Ellana dryly swallowed and went to him. She didn’t have anything to bring with her, they had taken her backpack and cellphone and hadn’t returned them. They probably raided her shop, too.

She followed him down long marble halls. If she weren’t in this situation, she’d admire how beautiful the place is, how _divine_ it was. She let out a depressed chuckle, and Cullen gave her puzzled glance.

He stopped at another room similar to hers and knocked.

Ellana asked him, “Is this where we’re supposed to go?”

“No. We are here for Solas.”

“Oh.”

Solas stepped out, nodded to Cullen, and they resumed walking. She was painfully aware of Solas’ presence next to her, and images of that night kept flashing through her mind. Just remembering how she drank his blood was so embarrassing. Ellana couldn’t believe that she actually did that…and enjoyed it. She sorely wished she could crawl someplace and hide.

No one spoke the rest of the way and eventually they arrived at a set of large wooden doors. Cullen opened them.

Ellana’s skin immediately became hot and goosebumps rose in fear. Seated at the table in the conference room was Varric, Dorian, Iron Bull, a bearded man, Cassandra, Leliana, and a woman in an expensive yellow dress. She dragged her friends in this, people she’s only known for a little over a year. Ellana knew Varric must be silently seething. She didn’t know the entirety of his businesses, but some probably weren’t completely legal. Him and Dorian were nice enough to welcome her to Val Royeaux when many other shop owners did not, and now she ruined her only connections here.

Cullen gently nudged her, and she stepped forward to sit in a chair. Solas sat next to her, and Cullen went next to the woman in the yellow dress.

Leliana was the first to speak, “Welcome, everyone. Especially, you, Ellana.”

Ellana didn’t know what to reply.

“That inquisitive nature of yours has gotten you in quite a sticky situation, hasn’t it?”

“I…it has.”

Leliana say back in her chair and had a thin smirk. “First question, why did you venture beneath the city?”

“I was accompanying Solas to observe something.”

“Oh, we already know that. I mean why have you been traveling down there over the last few months? And before you ask how I know, I am aware of everything that happens in this city. I have on record each occasion you visited.”

“If you already knew of all my visits there, then what’s the point of this questioning?” Ellana was annoyed now. If they knew all along, why wait until now? Were they waiting for something to happen? For someone to trigger the artifact?

Cassandra interrupted, “Answer the question, Ellana.”

“I wanted to see if there was any magic,” she conceded.

Leliana asked, “Can you cast magic?”

“No. Why would you ask me that?”

“Then why search for it?”

“I wanted to see how it reacted and formed there.”

Leliana faced Solas. “Tell her what you told me.”

Solas cleared his throat and said, “That…mark on your hand, it acts as an anchor of sorts. Breaking the artifact caused a ripple in the magic that binds them. It is now attached to you. Artifacts and those related will probably only respond to you.”

Leliana spoke up again, “And unfortunate or fortunate for you, Ellana, we need that skill.”

“My hand?”

“Yes, and your experience with these things.”

Ellana’s face twisted and she pointed at Solas. “Solas, you have much more experience with all this. I’m sure you’d be more useful than me.”

His face remained neutral. “No. Even with my ability to manipulate spells, I cannot do what you can.”

Leliana chuckled, “I need the both of you. I’ve already explained everything to Solas, and he has agreed.”

Ellana stared at her. “What is it that you need us for?”

“The Divine has sanctioned efforts to uncover and learn more about this magic and such. I have uncovered news from my teams in Tevinter that the Black Divine is doing investigations and experiments of his own. And that is where you all come in,” she waved her hand at Ellana, Varric, Dorian, and Solas.

Varric slammed his hand on the table and leaned toward Cassandra and Leliana. “I have no idea why this involves me. I have my own issues, and none of them involve this elfy mage stuff in any way.”

Cassandra scoffed, “You _owe_ me, Tethras. I figured you’d be interested in the lyrium aspect of this, but if not, you are free to leave.”

“Fine, Cassandra. You have my resigned interest.” Varric retreated back in his seat.

Dorian took the moment to speak up for himself, “And me? Because I’m an altus and my father is a magister?”

Leliana smiled. “Very astute, Mr. Pavus.”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t align with Tevinter, hm?”

“A privileged man from Tevinter such as yourself wouldn’t move to Orlais just to open a bookstore, would they?”

He sighed and said nothing back.

The woman in the dress straightened her paperwork and introduced herself, “Hello! My name is Josephine Montilyet. I am working as a diplomat between Antiva and Orlais. I’m here to make any international relations go smoothly. Your travels will undoubtedly take you across borders and gain the attention of many.”

Cullen cleared his throat after Josephine finished, alerting that it was his turn. “As all of you already know, I’m Cullen Rutherford. I will ensure none of the templars give you any trouble.” He flashed his templar badge, indicating his status as an officer.

When the bearded man didn’t say anything next, Leliana introduced him, “This is Warden Blackwall. He will be able to accompany you as well.”

Blackwall crossed his arms across his chest and grunted.

“Wait, like the Grey Wardens?” Ellana asked.

“Still ever inquisitive. Yes, like the military branch,” Leliana said has she waved her hand at someone near the back of the room. After a minute or so, a young blonde woman was brought in.

“Watch it!” The woman yelled at the man leading her.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and exasperatedly announced, “…And this is Sera. She is the one to blame for your face being all over the news.”

Sera walked to them and countered, “The people out there deserve to know what you guys are hiding. Why are enlisting this girl, huh? And these people? What is that Divine of yours planning against us? It’s known that she plays that Game or whatever.”

Leliana answered her, “Calm yourself, Sera. This is why I had you brought here. I want you to leak all of the information we find to your Jennies and the press.”

Sera’s nose wrinkled in confusion. “Wait, you want me to leak everything?”

“Yes.”

“Why’s that?”

“The reason why is for me to know. I’m offering you free access, take it or leave it.”

Sera looked out the window for a few seconds before turning back and with a stomp of a foot, she declared, “Fine, I’ll take it. But what I’ll tell them won’t be pretty.”

“I don’t expect it to be,” Leliana paused then continued, “I believe that was everything. The attendants will escort you all back to your rooms where detailed informational files will be waiting.”

“Hey! And me?” Iron Bull blurted.

Leliana motioned to him, “Ah, yes. How could I forget the largest thing in the room? This is Iron Bull, some of you have already met him. He’ll directly report to me.”

People began to gather their things and shuffle away. Ellana tried to catch the attention of Varric and Dorian, but they both avoided her and left. Eventually there was only Solas, herself, and Leliana in the room.

“Leliana, I never accepted to do this,” Ellana said offhandedly.

Leliana sharply met Ellana’s gaze. “Please, Ellana. Don’t make this more complicated than it needs. You obviously have an interest in these things, put it to use. But I will point out that I do _not_ need your consent, just you.”

The way Leliana plainly told this to her sent a shiver down her spine and spiked that familiar feeling of fear. “I understand.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Ellana fumbled to get out of the chair and leave. Solas left with her, close behind. By the time they made it out of the room, they noticed there were no attendants in the hall.

“Do you remember how to get back to the room?” Ellana questioned him. If she could get to the area, she would be able to figure out the rest.

“Yes, but there is someplace we should visit first. Leliana informed me about it earlier, but I didn’t get the chance to visit. Since we are both free now, I think you might want to come along.”

“Fine,” she agreed. Being dragged to random places was going to be the new normal, anyway.

He took the lead and she followed, just like that night. She rolled her eyes at herself and huffed in annoyance, that night was something she’d rather forget. She got herself in this mess, and it was time to pay the price. This price just happened to be expensive.

“Are you all right, Ellana?”

“Depends.”

“Do you feel weak or light-headed?”

“Not really.” It wasn’t exactly a lie or a confirmation. She was feeling fine now, but she did almost faint the day before after standing too suddenly.

“Good. It seems they took my advice.”

“Do I have to ask, or..?”

“I just recommended certain procedures that are more helpful for elven treatment. Certain blood types, too.”

“I see.”

“Also, we’re here now.”

Ellana observed around her, it seemed that they were in a different wing of the building. Solas opened a door that led to an expansive room.

A tall, dark haired woman came to greet them. “Ah, they said you would drop by. They didn’t say it would be _two_ elves, though. Anyway, I’m Morrigan.”

“Morrigan! That’s not a proper way to greet,” a different woman chastised. Unlike Morrigan, she was an elf.

The elf faced them with a smile on her face, vallaslin on her cheeks lifting upwards. “I’m Merrill.”

“Ellana,” she replied plainly.

Solas stepped forward and shook their hands. “Solas.”

Ellana suppressed her irritation, it did no good to be rude. She stepped forward as well and smiled to the women.

Morrigan and Merrill showed them around. It seemed as though Divine Justinia had sanctioned investigative efforts far earlier. There were labeled and tagged objects the two women were currently studying scattered on tables, it was a mixture of things from each country. The most surprising was the table that held tools the Mortalitasi used during medieval Nevarra. Since Ellana now knew necromancy was definitely possible, she unsuccessfully imagined how those tools would be used. She filed this in her brain for later.

Ellana busied herself fiddling with something while Solas and Morrigan bickered over the accuracy of something historical.

Merrill coughed to gain everyone’s attention.

“Solas and Ellana, I think you’d like to see the most impressive object we’ve managed to acquire.”

Morrigan frowned. “We said we’d wait to show them, Merrill.”

“There’s no harm in showing them now, is there?”

“Ugh, fine. Follow me.”

Displeasure apparent, Morrigan brought them to a hidden closet. With her hand on the handle, she sternly told Ellana and Solas, “What is behind this door remains between us. We don’t want everyone knowing what we have, especially that Sera girl.”

Morrigan opened the closet, and Solas rushed in when he realized what was inside.

He ran a hand over the intricate metal border carvings and sternly asked, “How did you find an eluvian? One intact, at that?”

Morrigan sauntered to him and replied, “Surprised humans managed to find one? It was randomly found near battered ruins on the border of Ferelden and Orlais. Everything around it was destroyed, but it managed not to be affected. Curious, isn’t it?”

Merrill prattled about how the eluvian was discovered, and how King Alistair heavily insisted in its destruction. This is the reason why Morrigan was keen on keeping this a secret, he was under the impression that it was destroyed and disposed of.

Ellana stared at the mirror, if it could be called that. It didn’t reflect any images, but instead was a dull grey with a slight sheen of light across it. She always imagined the eluvians would be less...less plain. It was tall though, that assumption of hers was correct.

She reached out with her left hand and placed it firmly against the cold glass of the mirror. The eluvian fizzed in reaction to the anchor and went dull once more.

“So, that hand _does_ do things,” Morrigan said.

Merrill eyes went wide, and she snatched Ellana’s hand, stretching and analyzing it.

“Merrill, it’s still my hand. That’s just skin,” Ellana noted.

The other elf returned the hand, but her gaze was still affixed on it. She soon went off and didn’t return.

“Ah, don’t mind her. Knowing Merrill, she’s probably writing notes about you,” Morrigan clarified.

Solas and Morrigan resumed talking about the eluvian, and Ellana was beginning to feel that she was intruding in some way. She left them and entered the main area, and Merrill still wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Ellana wanted to look at what else was placed out, but she didn’t want to mess anything up further. She decided to go back to her room.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the shuffle of footsteps coming up behind her.

“Ellana, why didn’t you say you were leaving? I would have walked with you.”

“Oh, Solas. It’s really nothing. You and Morrigan really seemed to be hitting it off, didn’t want to ruin _that_.”

He glowered. “Morrigan. A woman who knows less than she thinks.”

“And then there’s you, a man who knows more than he lets on. Good match, I’d say,” she snickered.

Solas stopped and glared at her.

“No need to look at me like that, Solas! It’s pretty obvious with the way you act, all shifty and suspicious. You just happened to find a mysterious elven artifact and can walk through dreams. You seem to be fluent in elven, even though you’re obviously not Dalish.” She was now fully laughing.

“This amuses you?”

“The craziness of all of this? Absolutely.”

He smiled but didn’t reply and continued walking. The two of them chatted about random things but mainly focused on the current situation of helping the Divine.

When they reached her room, he remarked, “And…Ellana. If you feel as though the medication and blood they are supplying are not enough, you know where my room is.”

“What are you implying?” She stammered.

“I don’t think I have to elaborate. It is well documented that fresh blood is –”

“Okay, I get it. Thank you for the offer, Solas. I don’t think I’ll need to, but I appreciate it.”

“Most of the staff is asleep shortly after midnight.”

“Solas!”

“There is nothing to be gained in being coy. You are still recovering, and I am letting you know in the event that you need to come to my room.”

Ellana was avoiding his face and stared at the ground. Her right hand fussed with the hem of her shirt. She let out a frustrated sigh and entered her room without giving him a reply. Thankfully, as Leliana has said, there was an assortment of documents at the desk.

On top of the files, it was her phone and a new laptop. She grabbed her phone and gave a small prayer before turning it on. As expected, there was a barrage of text notifications and missed calls. Her face being all over the news for the better part of Thedas certainly didn’t help. Ellana called her parents to soothe their fears and lie about the situation she was in, before placing the dreaded call to Deshanna.

After explaining what she could to her Keeper, Ellana had her food brought to her and spent the rest of the night reading the files. It was all information on leads that Leliana’s scouts had uncovered and reports on Tevinter. Josephine wasn’t kidding when she mentioned that this could take them across borders – these leads were in Orlais, Ferelden and Tevinter. Some of them involved elven ruins, old circle towers, and giant spider sightings. The latter made Ellana grimace, since magic had left, spiders had become drastically smaller. Small enough that they were common house pests.

Her text tone went off and she unlocked the screen to see the message.

**Solas – 1:45AM**

At this hour, the estate runs on a small team in this wing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the inner circle has been assembled :) Don't worry, Vivienne will be here as well!


	5. Chapter 5

Ellana scowled as she clicked the notification to open the chat log and send a reply. Her frustration clouded the ability to form a response, so she threw the phone on her bed. She was going to ignore it the meaning of the text. She had to. Solas had already planted temptation in her mind, and Ellana would not allow it to take over.

Muffled by the comforter, the text tone rang again. Ellana stared down at the surface of her desk until she was overcome by the need to see what the new message was. She flopped on the bed and unlocked her phone.

**Solas – 1:50AM**

I see that you read my message. Good. On nydha.

She let out the breath she was holding. That was it. No more texts that suggested she visit him in the dark like a creature of the night. No more reminders of how much she wanted fresh blood again. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t had it before – she had. It’s just that it all felt different now. She felt like she needed it. _Wanted_ it. The daily habit of drinking blood and eating specific foods always quelled her body’s requirement for it.

Why was that changing?

\---

Before the group could go forth and explore the leads Leliana had provided them, they were all instructed to go through self-defense training. Ellana was to go on each expedition, due to her hand, and she was required to at least have Iron Bull, Cassandra, or Blackwall accompany them on their trips.

Despite taking them, it was heavily insisted that the others go through training to learn the basics. It was highly doubtful that they would run into any significant trouble, but it was in the case that they came across any stubborn people working for the Black Divine.

For a week, the group attended these lessons. Not surprisingly, Solas and Varric were the best out of them. Ellana figured that they probably knew much of this already. In Varric’s circumstance, she knew it was probably tied to his illegal businesses or something related.

Dorian, Sera, and her struggled. Many times they were flipped on their backs or landing harshly. Because this was expected of beginners, Cassandra and Iron Bull taught them proper ways to break a fall in order to minimize the damage of the impact. It took numerous mistakes to realize how important this was.

Aside from the bodily aches incurred throughout the week, it was growing increasingly tense between her, Dorian, Varric. The two of them hadn’t said anything but small sentences to her, and even then they were extremely curt. Ellana didn’t take it personal, though. She knew if she were in their position, she’d be the same way. Although this did end up bringing her, Sera, and Solas together as a group often.

Ellana learned fast that Sera and Solas did _not_ get along. Sera would often mock Solas’ cryptic statements, and he would become irritated at her demeanor. The good thing about their back-and-forth banter was that Ellana was often left out, meaning less awkward and vague conversations with Solas.

\---

Ellana staggered into her room after the final day of training. Everything hurt. Cassandra was not one to hold back when sparring. Even though the Seeker looked innocuous dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, she most definitely was not. It was clear the Cassandra wanted people to learn from consequences. Ellana had failed to block a punch to her right side. The Seeker apologized but also explained how much worse the situation would be in real a situation, and that this accident would remind her to take more caution in the future.

She gritted through her teeth as she peeled off her clothing to take a shower. Against her own common sense, she turned the shower water as hot as she could handle. Ellana gratefully stepped in and allowed the water to run down her body. The temperature of it would hopefully soothe the mottled purple bruise that was forming. She leaned against the tiles, their slight coolness complimenting the heat.

After she finished bathing with care to not hurt herself further, she hurriedly got dry and did her post shower routine. Ellana reached out her left hand to grasp the corner of the sink when she finished dressing, and her hand flared brighter than normal. Everything momentarily swam around her.

“Fenedhis!” Ellana yelled and knocked a lotion bottle to the floor. Why wasn’t she better by now? She didn’t want to have to depend on others anymore, it was tiring. And irritating.

When she felt well enough, Ellana went to get her phone. The ends of her hair were dripping with water and soaking the back of her shirt, but she paid no mind. As soon as she made the first few steps, the world began to swirl again. Ellana made the decision to go as fast as possible in the hopes of reaching her bed.

Ellana's legs gave out a few seconds later but was close enough that the majority of her body landed on her comforters. Her breathing was now labored. What caused her to feel this way? Did she spend too long in shower?

She placed the crook of her right arm across her eyes and took deep, steady breaths. A few moments later she took hold of her phone and typed out a text.

**6:15PM**

I won’t be able to join you for dinner tonight! Eat lots :)

**Sera – 6:16PM**

wha? no! ur leaving me alone with solas >:(

**Sera – 6:16PM**

pls come

**Sera – 6:16PM**

pls

She laughed at the rapid texts, making her feel a bit better. As she began to type her reply, a call came in from Sera, Ellana picked up.

“Hey! Why aren’t you coming to dinner?”

“Hi to you too, Sera.”

“So?”

“So…”

“Is not answering questions a Dalish thing? Ugh.”

“Sera! No, it’s not, haha. I’m just not feeling too hot.”

“What do you mean? You look fine.”

“I meant internally, Sera.”

“Oh.”

Ellana laughed again before replying, “You’ll be fine. Go talk to Iron Bull, I’m sure you two will get along.”

“You want me to fraternize with the enemy?”

“The enemy?”

“He works for that stuffy Divine, the reason we’re all here to begin with.”

“I’m sure the Divine has her reasons.”

“Yeah, and that’s what I’m here to find out. Anyway, I’ll let Elfy know why you can’t make it.”

Before Ellana could tell Sera not to say anything about her feeling unwell, the line clicked.

Once her discomfort eased enough, she threw herself into the paperwork at her desk. Leliana wanted everyone to discuss the first location that they should visit. So, Ellana studied the different options they were presented. The location that seemed the safest was Redcliffe in the Hinterlands. It had a wildly unstable past but was now a stable location known for its gentle wildlife and farming. Perfect. Scouring a farm was far easier than traveling to the Fallow Mire or the Brecilian Forest. Or Minrathous.

She wanted to be fully prepared for anything in these areas, so she dove into their history and conflicts. Ellana didn’t want to be caught off guard again like in the catacombs. Through research, despite the fact that it wasn’t well documented or taught to children, the catacombs were filled mostly with the bones of elves. Historians had theories as to which wars were responsible for the tombs, but the history of the area was too compacted to tell for sure. 

Throughout their conflicts with humans, many elves were killed, and they needed a somewhere to place the dead. Because of the urgent situation and the growing number of bodies, they couldn’t bury each and plant trees for them all. Underground was a good solution, especially because many of the tunnels were already created and abandoned by dwarves. Depressing stuff.

The lightheadedness eventually came back, and she found herself squinting at the papers in front of her. She checked her phone for the time. A little over half past midnight. Ellana stretched and went to grab a bottle of blood from the fridge. She had been lightly snacking throughout the night and hadn’t eaten a full dinner. Ellana sat back at her desk and twisted the plastic cap and took a drink. She grimaced at the taste and instead of the normal head rush that occurred, a painful pang came from her left hand. The anchor fizzed in the silence of the room.

Was she unable to drink the blood? Impossible. How would it even be possible? Something like this had never happened to her and didn’t happen at all to other elves. She had just drunk some this morning and she was fine. It tasted like it always had. In fact, she was with Sera at the time, and her left hand no reaction. What was so unusual about now?

Ellana unconsciously touched her bottom lip with her right hand. She recalled how _good_ she felt when drinking his blood. How at ease she was. How natural it came to her.

She placed the bottle down at her desk and exited the room. There was practically no staff in the hall. She quietly tried to remember the path Cullen had taken. Ellana stopped at a door, the one she assumed was Solas’. If it wasn’t, she’d have to create quite the excuse as to why she was visiting someone this late at night. 

Her heart began to speed up ever so slightly. She knocked faintly. Perhaps there was a chance he was already asleep or didn’t hear her. Then she could return to her room and suffer in silence. Yes, that would be the preferred alternative.

The door opened marginally, and Solas’ voice said from inside, “Come in, Ellana.”

She shut her eyes tightly. It was still an option for her to return back to her room. To ignore how bold she was being.

Her feet moved forward, and she pushed the door open with her left hand. In the darkness of the hall, it casted an aura against it.

She closed the door behind her when she entered. The only light on in his room was the small desk lamp. Solas was sitting at the desk and typing something on his laptop. He didn’t turn to her or say anything. Did he want her to be the one to ask him? To initiate the action she came here for?

“Solas.”

“Give me a moment.”

He typed for a few more seconds then shut the lid of the laptop and turned his body to face her.

“I assume you are here because the supplements have been inadequate.”

She got closer to him and slightly leaned in. “How did you know they would be?”

“It was an assumption that ended up being correct. Magic is not only drawn from the Fade, but from the person who casts. It would not be far off to think that your left hand is constantly doing the same to you, requiring your body to produce more energy to sustain it.”

She harshly exhaled from her nose and stepped back from him.

Solas stood and asked, “Now, you are not here to learn about the Fade, are you?” The faintest smirk seemed to grace his lips.

“No.”

“I thought as much,” he paused and continued, “is there a specific area you prefer?”

She focused her eyes to a corner of the room, avoiding his gaze. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“It should, some areas bleed faster or slower than others.”

“Solas…please just choose.”

He began to roll the sleeve up his right arm, and she saw a faint scar across the inner forearm.

“Is there anyway we can do this without leaving a scar?” She felt bad that he had one from before.

“The scar is my own fault, I cut too deeply. And it will eventually fade, it won’t be permanent.”

Solas opened a desk drawer and took out a pair of scissors and handed them to her, she simply stared at his hand.

“Take it. You will be applying the cuts to my skin; it will be easier for you that way.”

Ellana wordlessly took the scissors. When he finished rolling the sleeve above his elbow, he placed the back of his hand against his knee, letting her know that he was ready.

“Please, when you are ready. Remember, shallow cuts.”

She stared at sitting in the chair. To make the situation even worse, she would have to kneel in front of him. Between his legs. _Of course_.

As much as the thought of this would have embarrassed her, the need inside of her clouded it. She slowly kneeled and opened the scissors vertically. Ellana made a cut about two inches long near the inner forearm. As soon as blood surfaced, she brought her lips to it and licked it away. She softly sucked at the cut for a few seconds before creating another and doing the same to it. Ellana didn’t register the sharp inhale Solas made.

She made another cut and her teeth grazed over the other two cuts as she focused on the third one. It tasted exactly as it did in the catacombs and gave a rush of adrenaline. As she drank, it gave almost a burning and tingling sensation inside her mouth. When the bleeding eventually lessened from the final cut, she gave them all a final lick and raised her head from his arm.

Ellana simultaneously turned away and covered her mouth with her left hand as her mind buzzed from the drinking. Her sudden skittishness disappeared when she realized her hand had stopped reacting. Instead of the glowing, fizzing, and pangs of pain, there was only a lightly colored streak on her palm.

“I will admit that I bended some of the truth,” Solas began to confess as he walked to the bathroom to dampen a few hand towels.

He handed her one and resumed, “I can cast magic – some, that is. Although, not in the traditional way. I can only control a small amount, and that has to be through a form of blood magic. Because of the circumstances, extremes need to be taken for the smallest amount of casting.”

“What did you do?”

“Healing. It is all I can really do, as it doesn’t require to draw much from outside. Much it relies on the body of the injured. The majority of it is matter manipulation. Blood magic does not rely on the Fade.”

“And you learned this through your travels.”

“Yes. That and very old books,” he chuckled. Ellana returned the bloodied towel to him and he placed them in a basket. He sat at the end of his bed while she sat in his desk chair.

“Give me an example.”

“An example?”

“Of you learning something in the Fade.”

“Do you ask because you don’t believe me or that you are genuinely curious?”

“I’d say a bit of both.”

“I appreciate your honesty in that regard. I’ll tell you.”

She motioned for him to begin.

“I assume you have been reading the reports and such, yes?”

“I have.”

“Then I’m sure you’ve read about Redcliffe Village in Ferelden?”

“Parts of it. It’s actually where I’m going to push for our first trip.”

Solas nodded, pleased. “It’s a good place to start. As you have read, it was a central location during the Fifth Blight. The village was completely ravaged by it. The townspeople fought with the Grey Wardens.”

“Oh yeah, that included King Alistair’s ancestors. I remember reading about the scandal when it was discovered that his family had direct ties to the historical Wardens.”

“That is right. The hypocrisy is astounding from humans at times. The Grey Wardens are the most distinguished military branch, yet people would rather not have ties to them. Simply due to the group’s history of protecting against darkspawn.”

Ellana didn’t reply, so Solas continued, “Anyway, darkspawn nearly took over the village. After the battle occurred, many people were grievously injured. Those who had large chances of survival were prioritized by healers from the Circle. In the echoes of these memories in the Fade, I saw how the healers strategically combined magic and the physical.

“Healing would not need blood magic then. The healers easily drew from the Fade and their own mana. They created currents of energy that they ran through the person’s body. This allowed them to get a sense of what was occurring internally.”

“Like an x-ray.”

“Like an x-ray. I saw the healers argue amongst one another when they couldn’t get a clear mental image, especially if there happened to be heavy internal bleeding. They applied those currents of energy to areas they knew they could provide immediately relief to, such as deep cuts or broken bones and bruising.

“They would direct the currents to a specific area and focus on stimulating cell regeneration. Just like doctors now, healers had extensive knowledge of the body, perhaps more so. If they were healing a stab for example, they had to have intimate knowledge of the anatomy. With magic they were able to perform surgery of sorts without tools. This only goes so far, though. Sutures, poultices, and the such were all still needed.

“I will admit, I am no medical professional. But what I learned from watching those healers, I was able to apply in a small way on you. I focused on your hand; it should hopefully give you less problems for now.”

She sighed. “For now. That doesn’t sound promising.”

“Your hand will keep taking from you.”

“And you’re the only one that can help me.” She rubbed her forehead in an aggravated manner.

“I would assume so.”

“I don’t trust you, Solas. Any of this.”

“And I don’t expect you to.”

“Fine. You don’t need to worry; I won’t tell them about you being able to cast.”

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

Solas admitted, “Leliana is already aware. She is the only one, however. She understands the need of keeping something as important as this hidden. If I hadn’t told her, I would not have been able to help them treat you.”

“…And that something else you lied about. You said you only provided advice.”

“I omitted information, not lie. I did provide them with advice along with treating you myself.”

Ellana examined Solas. “What do you get out of this? Out of all this?”

“Observation of the Fade and the Veil. To study your hand and how the magic bound itself to you.”

“This, huh. Such a small thing causing so much trouble.” She twirled her hand in the air in front of her face before standing and adding, “Well, it’s late. I should get back to my room.”

“That is a novel suggestion. Wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”

Did he just make a joke? An inappropriate one at that? Ellana slightly pursed her lips in reply to his comment and returned to her room soundlessly.

\---

The engine of the plane roared as Iron Bull, Solas, Sera, and Ellana boarded it on a bright morning. Cassandra and Varric were not eager to join them, and Dorian wanted to avoid her still despite his own curiosity. So, it was the four of them that were going to Redcliffe that day. Iron Bull made a joke about how they were the pointy ear group, eliciting a snicker from Sera and annoyance from Solas.

The private plane was spacious, which Iron Bull seemed extremely thankful for. They all sat in separate sections and accustomed themselves. The place proceeded to take off in the process.

Ellana looked around and saw them settle in different ways. Iron Bull reclined his seat and opened up a file to read through. Sera placed her small digital camera to the side, plopped herself down, and was glued to her phone. Solas sat in his seat and opened the book he was reading; it was something about the dwarven myths of titans.

“Oh, you’re wearing the silver plate over your eye patch,” Ellana commented to him when she noticed it.

Iron Bull raised his head. “Yup. It also took you a while to notice.”

“Did it? How long?”

“Little over a week.”

She gave him a sheepish smile and ended the conversation there. Seeing Iron Bull and Solas read reminded her of Varric’s book in her bag. They were all able to visit their residences before leaving to pack anything they may need for the trip. When rummaging through the counter’s desk at her store, Ellana had seen the book and decided to take it with her. If she finished it, it could prove as an opening to speak with Varric.

Before she picked up where she left off, she sent a quick text.

**7:17AM**

Don’t forget to lock up at the end of the day.

**Merrill Mahariel – 7:20AM**

Lethallan, don’t you worry! I will take of it :)

**7:21AM**

Please also leave stuff in their proper place. Like, in the store.

**Merrill Mahariel – 7:24AM**

I’ll put everything back in the cases when I’m done!

**7:30AM**

What?? Merrill!

There wasn’t another reply from Merrill, and Ellana rolled her eyes as she threw the phone in her bag. She tried to take her mind off what the elf was doing in her store and opened the book. Thankfully, because it was so far off from being published, the cover of the book was just a solid grey with no picture or text.

_He gingerly caressed the soft skin of her chest, tracing the length of her clavicle and drew line down from the dip of her collarbones. He lifted the tunic above her head and stared down at her, pupils dilating in response._

_“Aveline…” He whispered as he kissed her again, though not as passionately. Donnic slid her hair tie off and her hair spread out, creating waves of red._

_Aveline traced her hands downward, resting them at his hips before she took off his tunic. They kissed again; bodies pressed closer together. She felt his need pressing against her, and their passion became chaotic once more. The rest of their clothing was soon discarded._

_Intent on pleasing his hero, Donnic made his way lower, kissing the entire way down. A gasp came from Aveline when his tongue –_

Nope.

Ellana momentarily forget where she was in real life and shoved the book in her lap, feeling somewhat flustered. To her relief, no one noticed. She decided to skip ahead a few paragraphs.

_She palmed the area where –_

Ellana didn’t finish the sentence and turned the page.

_Faster and faster until they –_

The book was suddenly plucked from her hand, and Iron Bull was standing over her.

“What is it that has you making such a fuss over here?”

Ellana went to grab the book back from him, but he raised it above his face as he read. She uselessly attempted to get the book back.

“In the short time I’ve known you, I didn’t peg you to be the type of person to read this.”

“Bull, give it back to me. Now.”

He looked at her and gave breathless chuckles. “You eager to get back to reading it?”

All the commotion between the two of them gained Sera’s attention.

“What’s going on over there? I want to know.” Sera walked over.

Shock filled Ellana and she mouthed to Iron Bull to not tell Sera. Iron Bull then reached over Ellana and passed the book to Sera.

“Oh. Oh! Ellana, this is dirty. _Nice,_ ” Sera exclaimed. She then giggled and went to where Solas was. He was ignoring the three of them.

As Sera snatched the book he was reading and placed Varric’s book in his hands, she told him, “Try this instead, I guarantee it'll be more interesting.”

Solas’ eyes lazily skimmed over text before he asked, “Ellana, would you like your book back?”

Sera tried to get the book from him again, but he tightly held it until Ellana took it from him.

“Boring,” Sera said as she returned to her chair. Iron Bull went to his as well and resumed reading his files.

Ellana sat and put the book away, but close enough that she’d notice if they tried to snatch it. It would probably be best if she didn’t try to read the book in public again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to FenxShiral for elven!


End file.
